Recommended Songs
[1] Love It When You Hate Me (Clean) - Avril Lavigne feat. blackbear
[2] Not Your Ordinary (Clean) - Stella Mwangi
[3] Lucinia (from Meta Runner OST) - AJ Dispirito
Chapter 2 - A Fox Can Run Fast, But Not For Too Long
Diane feels as if she has lost a pound of weight as she drops off the notes at Marmalade's front door. She keeps the journal in her car, but she feels that she should give it to someone else to spare the burden of holding something…personal. Also, she feels as if she is done with the delivery because the coyote bodyguard she met scares her.
"Good thing that you didn't get yourself killed back there," said Nathan gruffly. "The Bad Guys are known for their resourcefulness."
Diane gulps a little, nodding. Nathan is no higher than she is and he doesn't look that scruffy like a wolf. He has a bit of a look like a wolf or a fox, but there isn't any fur growing near his cheeks. Some say that he would look dashing due to his smooth orange-brown fur and his black and white tuxedo, but he looks completely dead in his golden eyes.
He looks more like he is on the hunt.
"I've been careful," said Diane, crossing her arms as she places an iron gate in front of her. "You know that a fox can be as cunning as anyone."
"That's true, but you never know," said Nathan. "Times change. With the drones you faced, people use more technology. You never know what they can do with it."
"I know."
"Trust me. You need to know that, governor."
The coyote isn't being mean, but there is this growl in his voice that shows how serious he is. Maybe he smoked too much lately.
Shaking off this dread, Diane rides off, heading into the city.
She feels like taking a drink. [1]
For the position Diane is in, she shouldn't be out drinking. However, after a rough night, she needs one. A way to sober herself up. Besides, no one is going to touch her since she is newly elected. She doubts no one would pay attention to a red fox wearing a gray blazer, matching trousers, a white shirt with a black tie and black shoes.
Though, she wishes that she wore something more casual like the other customers.
Stepping into the bar, she can see that the busy lunchtime has attracted so many people. At least they are in groups, so no one is going to try to talk to her. Loud rock music filled the entire room, coming from a stage. Taking a quick glance at it, Diane smiles at who it is there.
One of her friends she made back in college is already performing. He calls himself 'Doom' (he doesn't like his original name).
To see a black crow perched on a chair and singing into the microphone would look silly. Not to mention that he is dressed in a black leather jacket and has turquoise bangs combed to the left, covering his eye. Cheesy for an emo bird.
However, something clicks with him singing the loud punk rock song with a soft and somewhat quiet voice.
At least she will have some company today. He would always come to her after he finishes his performance.
Doom is quite an oddball, to say the least. Not in terms of being eccentric, but Diane finds him a little strange. The crow is normally grumpy and cynical, but it takes some time for him to warm up. He wasn't cool with her at first, but after a while of chatting with him, he hangs around with her more. She wonders if the reason why he is this way is due to his upbringing or taking interest in goth culture.
They don't interact that much however, but Diane is interested in being his friend.
She wonders a little about how it would feel to be amongst friends because when she was the Crimson Paws, she was lonesome.
Sitting at the bar table, this is what she is calling since she would be near the drinks instead of waiting at a table, Diane calls for a bottle of strawberry beer. Her drink came in, cold and icy. One sip of it and she can feel the sweetness mixed with the bitterness of the beer. It tastes like heaven.
"Hey there, little fox."
Ugh, how many times already?
Diane turns her head to find a jerk. A burly human with a golden tooth. He grins greedily as he strokes a hand onto her cheek.
"You look like you need someone to shotgun your jelly," he said seductively. "For a foxy lady like you, I can trigger that switch."
She heard this too many times. At this point, she is just done with all the drama.
"Well, as long as the bullet in your shotgun allows you to drop dead on the floor in a puddle of blood," she snarked. "I would be really happy to see that instead of seeing you jerking off on the dance floor."
The man's smile disappeared. "What did you say?"
Diane doesn't have time for this, taking a long sip. "Oh, I'm sorry. Maybe you already fired the shotgun that blew both of your ears off so that you couldn't hear me making common sense."
That set him off, grabbing her wrist. "What did you say about my friends?!" He reached a hand towards her neck. "You ugly, short-sighted v-!"
Being a government figure with high combat training, Diane wastes no time in overpowering the jerk. She uses her elbow to block off getting hit in the throat before proceeding to do so at him. He yelps and chokes as she stands up and spins him around. With a tight grip, she grabs onto his ear and wrist. Though he tries to use his free hand to attack her, she is quick. Even though her leg is dragged, she uses this as an opportunity to twist the guy's arm again, nearly hearing a bone crack. She kicks him right in the leg, forcing him to bend down on one knee while holding onto his arm and another one underneath his armpit as a warning.
"Hey!" yelled a group of men. "What are you doing?"
"What was that next word you were going to say?" snarled Diane. "'You ugly, short-sighted' what?"
The man grunts, clenching his teeth through the clenched teeth. Trying to get a word out despite knowing that he can lose a bone.
As he opens his mouth to say the insult, Diane twists his arm again, erupting a ladylike scream from his mouth.
One of the men in his social circle takes a step back. "Bro, that's Governor Diane!"
"Any of you want to finish it for him?" dared Diane.
His so-called friends can only watch as they decide to rather breathe instead of feeling the fury of the fox. [1s]
Diane scoffs before throwing the jerk onto the floor, watching him drag his way back to his friends. There is some small applause as the music finishes, but Diane humbly makes her way back to her seat to finish up her strawberry beer.
"Yeesh, girl," said Doom, flying his way to the bar table. "You could have started a bar brawl just now."
The fox turns her head towards the crow, perched near her bottle. She smiles in return.
"A girl's gotta do what she's gotta do," she mumbled.
"Well, you would have gotten arrested," said Doom as he crossed his arms…wings…whatever he prefers to call them. "A self-proclaimed perfect governor wouldn't be expected to get into a fight. The headline would have been 'Local Politician Starting a Turf War on Janesworth Street'. Do you know how many protests might have happened if you got arrested?"
Diane rolls her eyes. "It's fine. I just…like breaking out of the mold sometimes."
"Well, you don't really," snarked Doom.
"I mean," Diane explained, stuttering. "I, erm, do and don't like to."
"You can't really have both."
Another large sip. "Maybe I can."
"Ah, geez, dummy," said Doom, shaking his head. "We've become a world of delinquents still in our youths and living out our reckless teenage dreams. Thinking that the world revolves around us. Surely this year should be the time where people can wake up from their beliefs."
Diane chuckles at how hypocritical he sounds. "You're one to talk, Doom."
"Excuse me," said Doom, placing a hand over his chest. "I'm an artist. I mean, I have to find SOMETHING to produce more of what I love. And look at my latest album! The reviews are generally positive due to the roulette I played around with."
"Repetitive pop albums get more scores."
"Hey, I have my own industry I fit in with."
Doom is famously known as an independent rock artist. He isn't really popular which explains his free gigs at several bars in Los Angeles, but his music is really nice to hear. Some of them cover maybe too many messages than one usually focuses on, but Diane is actually impressed with the limitations he is breaking against. Maybe he might become a global superstar someday, but he is content with doing what he likes.
He rarely says it, but he does like talking with her.
A fluttering inside her chest, expecting her old friend to appear in time. She turns around to find a female panther walking toward her. Her hair is loud as a huge afro, darker than her fur. She is still wearing the yellow jumpsuit she loves from her favorite movie Kill Bill.
Despite being a panther, she has the look of a kind cat. [2]
"Diane!" she said. "Good to see you again!"
"Kitty!" exclaimed Diane, hugging her. The two women coe before Diane drags Doom into it as well. "Come here. You too!"
"AYE!" squawked the crow, trying to flap away. "Don't pull me in like this!"
Diane laughs, ignoring Doom trying to peck on her. She is happy to see Kitty once again. They haven't been in touch recently due to Diane's job taking up her normal free time and Kitty needing to look after her two children ever since they were born earlier this year. You see, Kitty is older than Diane and the two know each other from Diane attending Kitty's martial arts classes, but they form a stable friendship together.
Diane wishes that she gets to know Kitty more first. If so, then she wouldn't be on the path of the Crimson Paw in the first place.
Finally, they let go.
"Just because you are girls doesn't mean I can touch you two," grumbled Doom.
"You're speaking my language," chuckled Kitty, turning to Fox. "So, my little student. How have you been?"
"Kitty, I'm doing good as I said in our chat," said Diane.
"That is all TEXT chat. But now we are here, let's get into a face-to-face conversation. How is your new job as an elected governor?"
"It was…surprising." Diane thought for a while. "I never knew that I would be elected. All the hard work must have paid off."
"You know that you don't really need to do this," said Kitty, looking concerned.
"Well, it's something I asked for, so why waste it?"
Kitty sighs. She knows that Diane is ambitious, but she should settle down. The fox is still young.
"I've been thinking lately about your job as a politician and you starting a secret mercenary-for-hire business," she said.
Diane's ears straighten up in shock as she forces Kitty onto her seat. "I told you to not talk about that!"
"Well…" Kitty checks around to make sure no one is listening. The bartender is too busy flirting with a blonde lady. "I have to because I don't know what other secrets you've been hiding from all of us. Always saying that you got things to do and the next minute, you end up looking like my husband."
"She's right, Diane," agreed Doom as he rested on the fox's shoulder. "A fox can run fast, but not for too long. I never took a step closer to fame since I hate the paparazzi; too pressuring."
"I know, you two," reassured Diane. "Look, I just want to be a part of everything I can reach."
"Maybe you're overdoing it," said Kitty bluntly. "Sure, it looks good, but a double life isn't really the best thing for anyone. Unless superheroes actually exist. It took me a while to accept not being single after I got married. I feared that would change everything, but…the changes aren't bad and I stuck to that path ever since. What path are you exactly choosing?"
Diane hates it when everyone keeps reminding her what she should be. She started her new business to not leave her talent in fighting and stealing to waste. Her power as a governor can help her with resolving some of the conflicts unsolved. She misses the feeling of getting to be the sneaky fox everyone knew. She hates the fact that it is impossible to balance.
But she has to try!
"Any path that I can find, Kitty," hissed Diane sassily. "A fox can find multiple preys to sneak on. So many choices." She takes another sip and her bottle becomes empty. "Look, being a governor means I can be in control of the team and being a mercenary means that I can search underground. Sorry that I have been going into too much and cleaning up EVERYONE'S lives. But one day, you'll be grateful of me. And be grateful that I took martial arts lessons from you."
"Well, I thought you took them so that you would go to Japan," deadpanned Kitty.
"A teacher for all kids and you're a little stereotypical."
"Yeah, though this is your off day away from kids, Kitty," joked Doom.
Kitty smacks her lips. "For sure."
"So, what are you going to do today, Miss Governor? What plans?"
Diane smiles. Nice to change the subject. "Well, as you know, I'm hosting the Good Samaritans Awards tomorrow night, so you two are invited to come over."
"And get into some crazy crap going on there." Doom looks nervous.
"There will be music, food and several awards." Diane gives her friend a wink. "You'll love it."
"Well, better put my party pants on," said Kitty, looking excited as she hops off her seat. "You know that they once called me the 'Fitness Teacher of Dance'."
And there, she proceeds to do the most exaggerated belly dance everyone knows. Diane starts laughing while Doom feels embarrassed, darting his eyes to see who is watching. But the former is breaking into chuckles, remembering fondly Kitty's funny dances.
"Stop it," she wheezes between giggles. "I get it. I get it."
"You're embarrassing, grandma" whispered Doom.
"There is a speech that I will be doing in a few hours. It is something I've been waiting for as I want to address the huge criminals in town."
"Which ones?" asked Kitty.
"Just in general," said Diane, shrugging. Then, her eyes light up. "Oh! But I have their criminal records in case you would like to see them! Some of them will be used to help me with my speech about criminals. Half of them is still on the run or not doing bad things at the moment. Look at what the police gave me."
Another folder of her from her bag. She places it right on the bar table, spreading them out. Yellow sheets cover the trio's vision, having colorful pictures of the rebellious-looking criminals to the worst and ugliest monsters.
"Let's see…" said Kitty as she read through. "The Bad Guys are one major problem recently. Lux Lethal. Pig the Pug, well he got time off his hands. The Bucharest Bandits, Lucky Jim, El Nocturno. Wait, Scrappy-Dog?"
"That's…something I didn't expect," said Doom. "Years of being annoying must have done something about it."
"Wait, is that…Mr. Hornet?" asked Kitty as she picked up one sheet that displayed a picture of an orange and black hornet wearing a black shirt with orange swirls and a white lightning bolt, and an orange motorcycle-like helmet with his antennas sticking out. "What does he do again?"
"Hornet is a spy, look-out and con artist who has stolen small but valuable objects," explained Diane. "He was first known and on the wanted list when he got himself caught on camera once. Despite this and his death threats to people he came across, he's clear to go due to him helping out the authorities a couple of times."
"The police must have been greedy," grumbled Doom.
"Has he worked with the Bad Guys before?" asked Kitty.
"There was news that he worked with them on several occasions," said Diane, shrugging. "In fact, he became an honorable member of the group! There have been some rumors of him and Mr. Piranha dating."
Doom looks interested. "Oh really?"
Diane smirked. "Yeah. Somebody tweeted that the two of them had a one-night stand-off."
Doom's eyes widen. "They had a one-night stand-off?" Incredulous, he shakes his head. "I don't believe it!"
"C'mon," said Kitty, nudging Doom. "It's common with guys."
"Yeah, but wouldn't it be a bit dangerous for them? Hornet's much smaller and his stinger might either break or pinch Piranha!"
"Says the guy who had a night with a hippo the other night when you were drunk."
Doom gets right into Kitty's face. "You what, mate?!"
He suddenly loses concentration when he spots a file with an intimidating picture.
This one has something that resembles a giraffe except with a shorter neck and mixed features on it. They are smirking at the camera to reveal their sharp teeth. Completely covered in black, red and orange colors.
"Who are they?" he asked.
"Those are the Flexi-Trolls," said Diane. "Quite a feisty bunch."
"Are they aliens or some kind of gods?" asked Kitty.
"Well, all we know is that they aren't immortal because one LITERALLY perished into ash after being run over by a falling train."
"Wait, really? Wouldn't it be messy and filled with blood splattered everywhere?"
"Nope. Something to do with being hit in the heart."
Kitty is rightfully baffled. "Strange, that wouldn't be possible for one to turn into powder upon being struck in the heart. What did they do again?"
"They are responsible for mass homicide and war crimes. They are really hard to catch as they are hard to find in the world and they attack people in a quiet invasion."
"Any minute now, they can attack," said Doom sarcastically.
"Dang," said Kitty. "That is just cold."
"They sure seem to be a heartless band of ruffians."
"Well, not all of them," muttered Diane, remembering back to reports from the police. "There is one who actually found a way to turn his life around and is now living the good life. I think his name was Sid if I remember."
Kitty is understandably surprised, "This guy, living with a group like those bloodthirsty monsters, found a way to go good?"
"Yep," said Diane, suddenly sounding jaded. "He had the chance to rewrite his own history. Much like Wolf and his friends did."
If Sid managed to redeem himself, then why can't the Bad Guys do that as well? If only they wouldn't be so difficult, then…
Though, the bitter and sad feeling is moved aside when Doom speaks up.
"You don't sound happy about it," he said.
"What?" The fox chuckles sheepishly. "Sorry, I suddenly felt…" She shakes her head. "I am grateful that Sid found a better path for him."
"Well, that is one down," said Doom. "There are still…999 more I guess. Or 998 I mean. They are among us."
"Oh c'mon," laughed Diane. "Life is not a video game."
"It might be," said Kitty.
"Like see that dude over there?" said Doom, pointing to a man typing a…very explicit document on his computer. "He is sus writing down those things in public. That is exactly the type of guy who would send information to terrorists and smuggle drugs into countries."
The man writing on his computer stops and gives the trio a quizzical glance.
Kitty grins sheepishly. "Sorry about him."
Diane nearly hops off her seat if it isn't for the panther grabbing her wrist.
"No, don't think about it."
The fox's ears droop as she sat back down.
Doom takes another look at the criminal records. "Who is 'Splaarghön'?"
"What?!" said Diane, alarmed.
"This guy looks like-" [2s]
"That one is classified," said Diane too quickly as she shoves all the papers back into her folder. "And we're done here."
Doom can only give her a disapproved look. He is just getting interested! Why hide from him?
Kitty checks her watch. "You said that around this time, you have to go, Diane. Need to get to the press conference. Prepare your speech. Be responsible."
"Yeah, you're right, Kitty," said Diane, nodding. "Maybe I should get going." Her eyes suddenly light up. "Or…!"
Within the smallest of seconds, Diane, Kitty and Doom got to the karaoke bar and set up a game of Just Dance. Drunk, high and giddy over dancing together again just like they did during Diane's and Doom's graduation university party.
"Keep those paws pumping, girl!" whooped Kitty as she and Diane danced to 'Mama Mia'.
Diane whoops as she feels the tropical, Latin-influenced song moving her.
"C'mon, Doom!" she said. "Join along!"
"There are only two dancers required for this one!" said Doom, hiccuping and clearly not wanting to be involved in this one.
Eventually, Doom and Kitty dance together for 'The Final Countdown'. Diane made sure to record a video of them doing the 'jumping over each other' move.
"C'mon! C'mon!" said Kitty as she rolls onto the floor.
Doom just flies over her. "Yes!"
He receives an 'X' score for that move, thus missing the gold move.
"What?! C'mon! I jumped over her perfectly!"
And then, it's Kitty's turn to jump over and let's just say that Doom is TERRIFIED as he has to duck his head due to her only making a small jump. Her shoe nearly knocked him in the eyes.
Later on, Kitty takes on a solo dance on 'Sayonara', burning more calories to this Kawaii Metal track. She is right at the part of the post-chorus, stomping her feet to the ground.
"Erm, Kitty?" said Diane worriedly. "You might not want to stomp too hard."
"Who cares?" said Kitty cockily. "Let all the rage out-!"
SMASH!
Followed by her making a hole through the floor and falling through it. There is a loud crash and silence before…
"Oh," said Kitty's voice. "Hello!"
Two screams erupted from the room below.
Diane clenches her teeth, shivering.
Doom takes another sip from his bottle.
Then, Diane takes a solo dance with 'Montero (Call Me By Your Name)'. It doesn't take long when she gets to the second chorus and she has to do the…wiggle move.
"No, no, no," she said after she first tried it out. "I'm done. I'm done."
"What?" said Kitty. "It makes you look hot."
"Not like this! I'm not a strip dancer!"
Eventually, the trio got wasted and ended up resting on the couch while the Just Dance idle music plays along. While they can still open their eyes, the effects of dancing too long and drunkenness probably make them feel more fatigued. This must be how it feels like to come walking out of a university house party.
Diane manages to stay awake when she hears her watch buzzing.
"Thirty minutes left?!" she hissed as she jumped up, awakening her friends. "I have to go now!"
"Alright then," chuckles Kitty, doozy. "Catch you up later."
Without taking her time to check if she has everything, Diane hurriedly places back on her blazer, adjusts her glasses properly and rushes out of the karaoke room. Alone, Kitty turns to the drunk Doom who keeps blinking every 3 seconds.
"She is going to burn out," the panther said.
"Yeah, totally," agreed Doom.
Diane ends up running all the way to the spot of her press conference. She can't drive since the effects of the alcohol would impair her concentration. Luckily, it isn't too far. She can rush back to her car later and it is locked. And by the time she arrives at the government house, the governor making a speech before her is still talking to the gigantic crowd of people. A few of her fellow workers and governors surround her, checking if she is alright.
"Guys, guys," she kept saying as one of the governors - a human with tan skin and blonde hair - adjusts her suit nicely. "You know you don't have to do this."
"OK, so do you remember what we planned to say?" asked the blonde governor
"C'mon, Thomas!" said the fox, taking out her notes. "I know what to say. I mean, this is the first press conference I get to talk in. You know how much I've been waiting for this moment."
"I know, miss. But if you're gonna continue to go off making shady deals and appear nearly late for work, it looks like you got too much on your plate."
"Do not fear, my gentleman," said Diane. "I got it all written down. Anything I highlighted are the main points that would strike up a realization."
The blonde governor looks over her notes. "It's ALL highlighted. Wait, you're actually going to…"
"Well, it's a way to tell everyone off how they embrace stereotypes too much. I can't be like the other governors who only see the worse of criminals when there should be a voice about the more realistic side."
"I don't think it's THAT simple," grumbled the blondie, pinching his nose. "And clearly, you didn't think this through if you are going to be fair to all. Just PLEASE follow the talking points we went through."
Diane rolls her eyes. "Promises promises."
Thomas raises his eyebrow. "Every time you say that, you don't make it a promise."
"Keep it as a promise that I won't tarnish the government's reputation."
He clicks his tongue. "Right."
"Diane Foxington!" called a stage manager. "You're up!"
Diane smiles. "Alright then." She gives Thomas one last look. "See you soon."
In her mind, she is actually nervous about this. She opens the door to be greeted by a gaggle of reporters. The flash and the chatter amongst the reporters right in front of her would be enough to break the shyest person. While Diane is not really an introvert, she knows that some of them may not take her words nicely.
She is probably one of the first animals to be able to take a government or a very high political position like this.
Stepping up near the microphone, Diane raises a hand calmly, asking for silence.
"We all know how dastardly the Bad Guys are," said Diane. "Earlier today, they got into a small heist, but you would have already seen the mass destruction they did. Nobody was severely injured, so thank God for that. I wonder how many cops it would take to fight against the most outwitting crime gang of all time." She snorts a little. "Well, if only the other American president can be arrested if the Bad Guys are up to his level."
There is an agreement amongst the reporters as scattered chuckles spread around.
Thomas, on the side, face-palms, sighing.
"I am aware of the shocking actions the Bad Guys have done in Los Angeles," said Diane. "But more than anything…" She stops for a moment, feeling a lump in her throat. "I feel sorry for them."
There is a stunned silence from the reporters.
"These so-called 'Bad Guys' are really just second-rate has-beens," continued Diane, laughing a little. "Behind their amateurish antics and, frankly, unoriginal capers, I mean really…" She pauses for a moment, finding it a bit amusing with criminals these days. "...another bank is nothing but a deep well of anger…"
Some sort of anger burns inside her. A frustration. A frustration of what she has gone through led her to become the Crimson Paw.
"...denial…"
It came without notice, but Diane is hiding a lot with deciding whether to settle into her life as a politician or continue going undercover as a mercenary-for-hire.
"...and self-loathing…" She pauses for a moment, smiling in depreciation of the Bad Guys AND herself. In honesty, it is more of her venting out her own struggles of being a criminal in the past. This might be a good way to reach out to criminals while also addressing the civilians' worries, right? "And those are holes that no amount of cash or priceless art can ever fill."
A mutter rises among the reporters.
"I mean, look at us," she continued, dropping the 'know-it-all' smirk "Look at you. I mean, we can all be despicable, right? Some of us do it out of anger to hurt others when they hurt us back. I mean, isn't that something we've all been through? Why else do you think they try to replace a scared mind with valuables?" She pauses for a moment. "Some criminals took huge changes! Sid, of the terrorizing Flexi-Trolls, found a way to redeem himself. Mr. Hornet is still a criminal, but earns his freedom due to his partnerships with the authorities!" She taps onto her diamond ring, making sure it shines. Kind of in a way of daring people to see that she might be the notorious Crimson Paw. "So, if those criminals had a second chance, perhaps we should stop taking them as bad threats because they are like us."
Reporters start to fire skeptical questions at her, but she goes on.
"We are in a mixed society," said Diane softly. "Becoming gullible to the dominant point too quickly. And if you don't value equality, then tyranny will start to try to influence you. Maybe try to imagine how it feels like to be in the outcasts' shoes. The 'cruellest' people on Earth can be vulnerable, am I not wrong?"
Thomas on the side can't really say anything to talk against that. However, someone walks by him, looking like he has ideas…
Diane sighs before wrapping up her monologue. "I want you to consider what I said for today. But for now, let's forget about the 'Bad Guys' and focus on more positive things. And what could be more positive than the annual Good Samaritan Awards, where tomorrow night I will present the Golden Dolphin to this year's 'Goodest Citizen'."
There is some sort of enlightenment in the crowd as many reporters nod.
"There will be other awards coming in for tonight ranging from 'Bravest Citizen', 'Tidiest Citizen' to the 'Empowering Citizen'. Nominations finish tonight and will be announced tomorrow morning so make sure to finish them! This will be a good night as we will address the great people around. I hope that this even shows those who are hiding in the dark that light will be able to find you. There will always be good somewhere."
The rest of her speech is just talking about the other subjects Diane is concerned with. This includes climate change - which she is REALLY passionate about - before she wraps it up and lets the next presenter take over. Diane wanders off, getting ready to make her way back to the bar.
"Foxington." [3]
Diane yelps, turning around to find another governor wanting to talk to her. A man with an olive complexion and dark well-groomed hair in a smart suit.
"You might have gone emotional on your speech," he said.
"What? No," lied Diane smoothly. "I was clearly relating to the criminals around. I mean, you can't help but notice."
"Is it necessary? This might lead the public to question the government and this can place all of us in trouble."
"I know that, but-"
"Foxington," said the governor sternly. "I know you want to say that criminals in the city are like any other civilian, but we can't have any more of those Bad Guys sniffing around every corner. The government has to look out for its people and stop the troublemakers from hurting more. Not PROVOKE them any further. So the best way for…our people to live in a good society is…to hear their concerns. We are not criminals, remember?"
It is clear that he has trouble saying this, but that is rather the harsh truth.
Diane is rather surprised at how much emphasis when he says 'provoke'.
"Just because you were a former criminal doesn't mean you understand everyone."
Her workers aren't anything like Marmalade, but she feels that it is rather condescending with everyone reminding her what she should be more concerned about. But then, the realism sets in; someone could misunderstand it and people would start to act on it, protesting. Nobody would want an incident to happen and the governors would be in hot water and another politician would try to steal her power. It would be a quick one-way ticket to hell for her after all.
Upset, she can only nod.
"Good," said the dark-haired governor as he turned to leave, not noticing the dismayed look on Diane's face.
The fox takes a lot of willpower to regain her composure and shakes her head. Either way, the Bad Guys wouldn't be hearing her. They wouldn't even think about what she said. They just care about their own plans. Maybe cutting out comparing herself to the other criminals should be a good thing. She needs to stop thinking like a criminal.
She doesn't want to get into another boot out.
Not another fight. [3]
AN: Too bad, Diane, you dummy. Wolf heard about this and he is going to make it personal.
In case you didn't know, Nathan is actually one of the canon characters from the original book series! He is an alien who serves to the book counterpart of Marmalade, coming from the planet ':('. Here, like Marmalade being kept as a guinea pig, I decided to include Nathan and change his species to be a coyote. And oh, he has a personality change as something is a bit...off about him. I think I will get Cater Hayden to voice him.
Doom is another character who comes from the book series. Here, this character has a gender flip, making him a male. His hair and clothing are different, taking on a more emo rock look. His specialities are still the same, but he isn't an agent and has an indie rock career. The one thing that is kept is his dour, gothic, snarky personality. He would be voiced by blackbear.
Kitty Kat is another character who comes from the book series. However, unlike her book counterpart, she is much older as she is already a mother, she is less strict here and she works as a martial arts and karate teacher. She and Diane even know each other a long time ago somewhere around when Diane became the Crimson Paw. And oh, I changed her species to being a panther to keep in line with using 'predator' animals. She would be voiced by Natasha Rothwell.
Mr. Hornet makes a cameo here; in this universe, he is already a successful criminal and serves as an honorable member of the Bad Guys, helping them when they need him.
Sid and the Flexi-Trolls from MasterClass60'sTrolls story 'TrollsTopia (My Version) Season 2 Redo'. Special thanks to her for letting me use them for a brief cameo. Here, they are kind of unknown of what they are. I dare you to imagine one Flexi-Troll turning to ash when hit by a falling train. I dare you to.
Pig the Pug has another mention. Also, Scrappy-Doo from Scooby-Doo.
The bar scene takes inspiration from the TV show Peacemaker and the Marvel movie Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Though, the idea of having Just Dance is my own idea. As you can tell, Diane's speech is extended a little for her to address a bit more about the criminals. Though, it doesn't go well later on. Her chat with another strict governor is inspired from Encanto.
Rumors say that if you review about what you think about this chapter, you earn a nuzzle by Wolf. Feedback and criticism are welcome to help with any improvements needed. If you dare to be rude or send any flames, they will be doomed by Piranha's fart gas if deemed to be toxic, and you'll end up looking like a fool.
Until next time, keep on rocking!